Fear of the Other as Electoral Strategies in Italy and Hungary

Abstract

European politics has recently witnessed an increasing trend towards securitisation of migration. There are various aspects of the issue, however, this study specifically concentrates on how anti-immigration political parties construct fear of the Other-namely, asylum seekers, refugees and/or migrants-as part of their electoral strategy to gain more support in European elections. Drawing upon the premises and strategies of critical discourse analysis, this study analyses anti-immigration discourses delivered particularly by the leaders of League in Italy and Fidesz-KNDP in Hungary during the electioneering period of the 2019 European Parliament elections. It uses online data from 1 January 2019 to 31 May 2019, and mainly argues that the parties in question discursively construct the fear of the Other in the public discourse and public mind as a means to achieve success in elections. By doing so, this study bridges a gap in the literature by revealing which type of threat is more dominant in the discourses of the parties in question.